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Hi I'm James Larsen

I'm from a little town in Utah. My family is the best! Looking forward to serving my country in the National Guard & I'm a Mormon.

About Me

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I grew up in Utah and loved every minute of it! I am part of a smallish family (compared to other families in Utah), it's just my dad, mom, sister me and brother. As I grew up, my father would take our family camping and fishing often. He taught me how to appreciate the calm of the outdoors and how to work hard for the things I want. We live on a small farm (1/2 acre), we would raise chickens, plant a vegetable garden every year, and just a few years ago we planted some fruit trees in the back of our property. My family has had to work hard to survive. My dad works two jobs for us and before my mission, I worked for 5 years at Alta High School cleaning up after kids. Because of irrigation our house would get flooded. We would all have to work hard and sometimes call on help from our neighbors to help us clean up the mess. Now my best friend right now is my Grandma Lola! She is the most Christ-like person I know! She would do anything for us and I love her with all my heart!
Some of my hobbies include hanging out with friends, doing wood working in high school,ballroom dance (mostly for the pretty ladies;) camping and backpacking were my favorite activities when I was in the Boy Scouts of America. I regrettably was unable to become an Eagle Scout because of some health problems I had in high school (I broke my neck)
Other activities I would do for fun include video games, airsoft and paintball. I'm very patriotic, and I look forward to serving my country in the army!

Why I am a Mormon

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If I wasn't a Mormon, quite frankly I would be dead. The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ has saved my life so many times. The experience I had to go through to know the church was true was a dramatic experience. One day when I was driving home from work, my dad was in the passenger seat and my friend was in the middle of the back seat. I made a left turn and our truck was t-boned by a huge dodge truck (still hate dodge trucks to this day!) and it crushed my father in the passenger seat and my friend had a huge gash in his forhead and he was bleeding pretty bad. I was burned from the airbag deploying. Somehow we all got out of the car, and my dad didn't remember getting out. When the EMT's were taking care of my dad, I looked over and saw the people in the truck that hit us. There was a husband driving and his wife was very pregnant. She was having a hard time and they took her away in an ambulance, and the same time my dad was taken away too.
I sat there in shock, I had honestly thought that I had killed my father and had killed that ladies unborn baby... as did Alma in the Book of Mormon, I felt the pains of a damned soul. I thought that I had killed two people and I was a horrible person for that and I was going to hell.
When I got to the hospital with a couple of close friends of mine from High school orchestra, Jordan and Meckenna, I broke down in tears in the hospital parking lot. I started to ball my eyes out and I pleaded and begged my Heavenly Father to forgive me for killing my father and the unborn baby. I was inconsoleable, I honestly thought I had killed them...I asked again for forgiveness, and I had a very special moment. I felt a feeling of calmness come over me, and I heard a voice telling me, "James, it's going to be alright, you didn't kill anyone. Go see your dad." I felt 1,000,000 times better! I knew that the Savior is aware of me and loves me more than I can comprehend! At that moment I knew that the church was true! I love being a Mormon.

How I live my faith

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I live my faith by serving the Lord the best I can every day. I have helped my community by serving as a hometeacher to a couple great families in our ward. I especially enjoyed being in the young men's program that our church has. Part of that was Scouting, but as I said before I wasn't an Eagle Scout because I broke my neck in High school. But don't worry I can still walk and my neck is doing fine!
I am on a two year mission in the Alabama Birmingham mission. When I return to Utah after my mission I will enlist and serve in the Utah National Guard. I promised that I would serve the Lord and then serve my country. I'll use the resources given my by the millitary to go to school and get an education, not entirely decided on a future profession besides being in the army. My dad thinks I should be a Woodshop teacher in a high school, but I'd like to do something in law enforcement or homeland security or something cool like that! And of course, I strive everyday to be able to return home, find my eternal sweetheart and get married in the Temple, The House of the Lord, for TIME AND ALL ETERNITY! That is the ultimate goal for me is to be a good husband, a good father and provider for my future wife and children.
The Lord has done so much for me I can give to him two years of my life to him to build up His Kingdom on Earth and stand worthy before Him at His Second Coming. Being a Mormon is the best thing that has ever happened to me and is the best thing that can happen to you! I love being a Mormon :)

Did you know that Jesus Christ established a church when he was on the earth and called 12 apostles to lead the church after his death? Watch this video to learn why there are so many churches today and how Christ's church was restored to the earth.

Brian Donahue was well versed in the Bible and had a strong religious upbringing, but he still felt something was missing. In his search to discover what that was, he never thought the answer would come directly from God.